CLEVELAND — Hundreds of years ago, fishermen casting their nets off the coast of Peru and Ecuador noticed something unusual.

Every few years, the ocean water in their usually productive fishing grounds would warm up.

The warmer water chased fish out of those areas as they searched for cooler conditions.

Fish populations temporarily declined and made it difficult for people to make a living or feed their family from fishing.

This mysterious event would occur around Christmas time. So, the locals called it “El Niño,” meaning “The Child.”

What these fishermen didn’t realize at the time was that they had discovered one half of one of the most powerful climate patterns on Earth.

The other half of this pattern, La Niña, is Spanish for “The Little Girl” and would later be recognized as El N

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